Here’s What Mental Health Maintenance Can Look Like
Our mental health covers a broad spectrum and includes emotional, physical and social aspects in addition to our feelings. It influences how we think, feel, act and relate to others. This fragile and probably most important aspect of our lives requires lifelong care and practice in a society where depression and anxiety are on the rise. Due to the rapid development of technology over the last two decades, we can now access knowledge at any time, which allows us to get to grips with our problems much more quickly and efficiently than the generations before us. However, this progress also has its downside, because the more connected we are online, the more disconnected we live. And this increases the risk of suffering from poor mental health.
The relentless work on ourselves that is necessary to cultivate positive mental states and lead a fulfilled, self-determined and happy life will be explored further in this article. However, in order to delve deeper into this topic, it is important to develop a basic understanding of emotions and feelings.
Method 1: Creating resources
In behavioural therapy, resources are the available potentials of a person and their environment that promote personal development. In the field of body-oriented trauma therapy, a resource functions as a tool for dealing with stressful situations or stressful emotions. A resource can therefore be something as subtle as a memory or a physical sensation. In order to become aware of our resources, it is advisable to write a list of things that give us strength and meaning and that we can fall back on. This could be a good friend, for example, with whom we can talk about our problems. Mindfulness training can also help us to focus our attention on positive feelings in the present moment. All the other methods discussed in this blog are also essentially a resource.
Method 2: Planning routines
Routines can give our day a positive basic structure. We unconsciously adopt routines that we repeat day after day after a while. Routines do not have to be strict procedures; ideally, we have a resource that has a great influence on our well-being, which we repeat every day.
Method 3: Meeting up with friends regularly
As social beings, we regulate ourselves best through our fellow human beings. Even if our social relationships can be a little exhausting at times and require flexibility, it makes sense to engage with them regularly, because regular interaction has a strong influence on our well-being.
Method 4: Healthy lifestyle
The basic prerequisite for any mental health intervention is a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet coupled with plenty of exercise can make a significant difference to our wellbeing.
Method 5: Mindfulness practice
Meditation has proven its worth in many ways over the last few years. Through various mindfulness exercises, we train our attention or learn how to create positive states of mind. There are now a large number of offers on the market. To make it easier for you to choose, we have listed a few of them for you here: Headspace, InsightTimer, Waking Up - you can also find many more free meditations on YouTube. One recommendation is the "Mindfulness in Daily Life (MIDL)" by Stephen Procter - this is a 52-week mindfulness training program.
Method 6: Influencing the sleep-wake rhythm
Light influences our day-night rhythm and is largely responsible for our sleep. Sufficient sleep is most important for our health. You should therefore try to sleep at least 8 hours a day. But how exactly can we use light to improve our mental state? By exposing ourselves to strong light sources, such as sunlight or artificial light, in the morning